footsteps into the future

EARTH DAY was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Twenty-million people came together on that date to protest environmental destruction and raise awareness for a healthier, more sustainable planet. Since then, Earth Day has grown into an annual global event with one billion people around the world joining together to draw attention to environmental issues. Paraphrasing the Earth Day site linked above: "On this 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day in a fiscal environment of global recession our planet (our home) is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated in the continued failure of governments to take any steps towards protecting and preserving the environment. There's a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it's time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won't wait! The Earth Day 2012 campaign is designed to provide people with the opportunity to unite their voices in a call for a sustainable future and direct them towards quantifiable outcomes."

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BUTTERFLIES AND BOOTIES | (photos above) Crepe paper butterflies were made from an old Martha by Mail craft kit using crepe paper, clothespins, wire, Czech glass beads and German Glass Glitter. The small pink mercury glass baby bootie ornaments are from Crate & Barrel and tied with metallic ribbon from Martha Stewart Crafts.

WHEN I THINK about future generations and what they have to inherit from thousands of years of mankind wrecking our environment and using up the Earth's resources—I have to be honest—at first I am a bit pessimistic with what lies in their future. But then you see the hope in the face of a child and it reminds you that everything that new and unformed is an agent of change. Future generations need to be taught to develop a much lighter step and more compassion than ever before for our natural surroundings. It is now at the point of our very survival and best interest to do so and it is an issue of economics. We can no longer ignore the warnings from mistakes made in living the way we have in the past in the name of big business. We must also look to past voices to remind us of a more sustainable mode of living. This quote from a mostly forgotten indian chief was sent to me from Lisa Cummings Edwards (a blog follower and owner of a copy of my book, The Decorated Tree):

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."

—Chief Seattle, 1855

LITTLE GRASSHOPPER | (above) The tree branch is placed in a "quilted" ceramic container from a local gardening store, while a wire and mercury glass grasshopper from West Elm stands watch. Grasshoppers can only leap forward, not sideways or backwards. Symbolically, they have the ability to leap through time and into space where the true mysteries of life exist. The flowers behind the grasshopper are from one of the tallest deciduous trees in North America. The tulip tree (tulip popular) is related to the prehistoric magnolia and only produces flowers after it is about ten years old. The tulip tree flowers and bud are interspersed with white buds from a springtime nandina bush, which will eventually become red berries in the winter.

THIS TREE was a collaboration with a very special person in my life, Devin Borden. We made it to decorate his coworker's new nursery. Amanda Hickham and her husband Jeff are expecting a little baby girl soon, whom they have already named Jane Harris. In thinking about what the future holds for their little girl, Amanda says "It seems that over time, people have become more aware of the environment in general and increasingly more respectful of our planet. I can only hope that our baby girl will feel even more of a sense of responsibility once she is grown. It is important to me to be a part of sustaining and bettering an environment that will be safe for her not only as a baby, but for generations to come."

FACE THE FUTURE | (above, clockwise from top left) There are quite a few young ones in my life right now, some of which are shown here: My coworker Gianna Adams recently gave birth to Zander, shown with his mother in this beautifully poetic photo of mother and child; reaching for my face, Sian, former coworker Justine Chung's daughter is a complete delight; Atlas Bunda, the son of Kandace and Rob Walker-Bunda is understandably the happiest boy I know since both of his parents are extremely creative "Renaissance" parents; another photo of Sian with Devin Borden and I (who collaborated on the tree in this post); Mira is the beautiful daughter of my coworker Akiko Wilson; and another photo of Sian as a newborn.

INDEED, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED as humankind, but we sometimes forget that we are not removed from the natural world. We are products of every breath we take, every resource we consume and everything we eat. We are viscerally connected to every living thing in nature. 

THERE SEEMS to be a lot of children in my life right now. In looking for the face of the future, you only have to look into the face of a child as a source of hope. My friend Justine sent me a beautiful quote which she says pretty much sums up her new life in New York City. It really applies to all of us: "A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." Our mothers know best — especially Mother Nature.

AS A SIDE NOTE, Caine, a 9 year old boy — who built an elaborate cardboard arcade inside his dad's used auto part store — shows that do-it-yourself creativity and persistence can pay off. Caine's Arcade became a success after getting the attention of indie filmaker Nirvan Mullick (Caine's first and only customer until then). Mullick made a short film about Caine (see YouTube video below). The short film went viral through the filmmaker's efforts. It is the most heartwarming story I have seen in recent years and will give you hope for the future like nothing else. Please visit this website and donate a dollar or two (the price of a fun pass) to his college fund as I have. 100% of my donation of $2.00, minus the PayPal transaction fee (0.36), will be put toward creating a Scholarship Fund that will be held for Caine to further his education. The filmmaker will be working with Caine's dad George to make sure a Trust gets set up properly. Also, due to the overwhelming support, and the spark of inspiration that Caine's Arcade has ignited, Caine's Arcade Foundation is being built to help more kids! The Foundation will help discover, foster, and fund creativity and entrepreneurship in young kids like Caine. The Goldhirsh Foundation is generously matching your donations to Caine's Scholarship Fund dollar-for-dollar (up to $250,000) to help them get the Foundation off the ground.

IN THE FUTURE, entrepreneurship will truly "get off the ground" if tempered with a good solid education about the environment and its protection, which will ultimately turn into action for saving our Earth. Happy and Hopeful Earth Day!

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

crafting by Devin Borden and Darryl Moland,
photography/styling by Darryl Moland

good eggs

WE  ALL  KNOW the answer when asked which came first, the chicken or the egg? The question and the answer are rhetorical. Eggs are the perfect symbols for spring. Before eggs were associated with Easter and the resurrection of Jesus; Chinese, Egyptians, Gauls, Persians, and Romans used eggs in their rite-of-spring festivals. They represented the Earth's rebirth after a long winter. Eggs are containers for new life. Humans even start out as an egg, but that, of course takes us back to the obvious.

GROWING  UP,  I have fond memories of the new suit for church-going on Easter Sunday every year, along with the candy-filled basket left by a mythical bunny. And of course I remember the gleeful Easter egg hunt in the fresh unmown grass. The confectioner's smell from jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps and chocolate bunnies permeated the air inside along with the fresh smells of tulip trees and other early blooming flowers outside. All are brought together in a heady gust stirred up by the brisk winds of spring. Change and new life are in the air. And a cleansing of our souls takes place.

AND  THE  LIGHT, it seems, is warmly beamed directly from heaven, coaxing things back to life again. That's what every spring becomes . . . a rebirth, however you choose to believe, it's undeniably intoxicating, life-giving and affirming. I'll leave you with these images, because as it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the spirit of my favorite season, I created three times that here. These are some of my best, so I'll let them speak with their light.

When we live in darkness, our human life is a constant want.
When we live in Light, our divine life is a constant achievement.
Light in the physical is beauty.
Light in the vital is capacity.
Light in the mind is glory.
Light in the heart is victory.

—Talk on the Inner Light by Sri Chinmoy

SIGNS OF LIFE | (Top, left) The heart shaped leaves of the American Redbud tree have yet to form here. They first burst forth with spring flowers, like tiny sweet peas, that appear magically along the gnarled bark of the tree branches. It's easy to associate this tree with the miracle of rebirth, rather than its usual dark connection with Judas. A branch hung with speckled multi-hued eggs (from Marshalls) emphasizes the point. The ceramic bunny is from West Elm and the antique glazed cache pot is from my collection. An alpine bird ornament from Merck Family's Old World Christmas is a joyful symbol of spring and overlooks its egg-filled nest. Glassblowers in Germany often kept wild birds during the winter months since the sound of the gas flame in the workshop prompted the birds to sing. When spring arrived, the birds returned to freedom.

EPHEMERAL BEAUTY | (Middle) An even grander indication of spring, a branch from a yellow-blooming tulip tree (Japanese magnolia) provides short-lived beauty. The flowers, when cut from this tree with prehistoric magnolia roots quickly turn brown and start dropping their petals in a matter of hours—a lesson in the tenuous, but glorious bond life has with its source. These delicately floral-patterned egg ornaments are from Michaels. Their original frilly bow hangers were removed and replaced with simple ribbons—beautiful just as they are as an artistic reverence to nature.

BUNNY, BASKET and EGGS | (Bottom, right) This large chocolate bunny from Golda and I Chocolatier holds a spring bouquet of sugar flowers while presiding over a grapevine and paper flower basket bought at Ross. I filled the basket with fresh green wheat grass from Sevananda, and tied the handle with a bow of faux bois (wood grain) ribbon from Martha Stewart Crafts. The beautiful patterns covering the ceramic egg ornaments bought at Marshalls render them as works of art. 

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 photography and styling by Darryl Moland